it may not be burnout

Hey ,

I want to know if you can relate to any of this:

Binging your favorite Netflix series every night while endlessly scrolling social media at the same time;

Feeling lonely, but intentionally self isolating and cancelling your plans in favor of staying home;

Sleeping long enough yet never waking up actually feeling rested;

Avoiding texts and calls, then feeling anxious because you’ve left them unanswered for so long;

Find making even simple decisions impossible;

Excessive focus on all of the small details, yet making little to no progress on bigger projects and goals;

Telling yourself you’re burned out and just need a break, but feeling the exact same way after taking one;

You find yourself feeling overwhelmed, even over tasks/projects/workloads that never used to overwhelm you;

Finding yourself emotionally neutral in situations that actually should anger or upset you (or even excite you)…

If so, there’s a chance your nervous system may actually be stuck in functional freeze… and it’s being labelled as “burnout” instead.

To everyone around you, you seem completely functional and fine.

But inside, it feels like you’re pouring from a completely empty cup and nothing seems to be filling the cup.

It’s important to distinguish this state from burnout, because burnout can usually be solved by taking a break and re-aligning. Functional freeze is more complex.

If you relate to this, I want to let you know that you’re not alone - and actually this is so much more common than we think…

AND: you can come out of this, feeling so much more regulated, aligned and energized on the other side.

I want to give you a checklist, that you can do Daily, Weekly and Monthly if it feels applicable to you right now. My advice would be to copy/paste this into your notes app, so you can pull it out each day to work on.

Daily Checklist

• Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing for 5-10 minutes (morning and evening)

• Use Box Breathing during moments of stress

• Perform the Five Senses Exercise (morning and evening)

• Practice Physical Grounding every morning (with sunlight!)

• Meditate with Mindfulness Meditation for 10-15 minutes

• Do a Body Scan Meditation before bed

• Engage in Gentle Movement (yoga/stretching) for 15-30 minutes

• Include at least 30 minutes of moderate Exercise (walking/jogging)

• Use Soothing Touch techniques as needed (e.g., weighted blanket, self-massage)

• Eat regular, nutritious Blood Sugar Balancing meals

• Make an effort to check in with at least one friend (Social Connection)

Weekly Checklist

• Include a mix of aerobic and strength training Exercise at least three times a week

• Dedicate one session to Extended Meditation (30-60 minutes)

• Plan a social activity with friends or family (Supportive Interactions)

• Attend regular Therapy Sessions

• Have a Biofeedback session (if applicable)

Monthly Checklist

• Evaluate Progress and adjust the plan accordingly

• Set specific, achievable Goals for the next month

• Schedule a session with a therapist or coach (Therapeutic Practices)

• Attend a Workshop or Class on stress management, mindfulness, or physical well-being

• Plan an extended social event or outing (Extended Interactions)

I always find in these situations that having an easy checklist that I can tap into without having to overthink is so helpful. You can also add your own in there, a few ideas based on your preferences: listen to a podcast, read a fiction book, spend time coloring in, dance class, singing/music lessons.

If you want to go deeper on all of this, we just released an episode on the podcast where we talk all about functional freeze, along with some practices for being able to regulate and come back into regulation.

XO
Natalie

🎙 One of my favorite podcasts is Acquired. The episodes are long, detailed and so interesting - I love listening as I’m taking a long car ride or even going to bed early! This one in particular was so interesting.

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